We’re not against the police. We’re not against the police department, but we are against police who commit misconduct (and those who help cover it up).

I have to say that once Tuesday’s meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission resumed–it was awfully quiet. Apparently, according to a letter published by a coalition of activists on Wednesday, some 50 members of the public were not allowed back into the meeting after it came out of closed session.

There’s a twinge of irony in the activists being barred from the meeting considering it was mostly about recommendations for changes to the Los Angeles Police Department’s use-of-force training and policies as well as ways the Department can be more transparent. Big issues for groups like Black Lives Matter and Youth Justice Coalition.

I heard only a single member of the public offer comment on some of the most pressing issues for activists concerned with the LAPD’s use-of-force and deadly officer-involved-shootings. And while I don’t always agree with the strategy, tactics or choice of language used when addressing the police commission–I don’t think the public should have been refused entrance back into the meeting once it resumed. The Commission knows how important the issues on yesterday’s agenda are to the activists who come down to LAPD headquarters each week to engage and voice their opinion. The Commission is supposed to represent the people or so it says.

No word yet on if the public will be able to comment on Tuesday’s agendas items when the Commission reconvenes on October 25. It may be a moot point as they’ve already voted and are moving forward.

Perhaps going forward, the activists who engage with the Commission will rethink disrupting the meetings as this time it seems to have backfired on them when the Commission moved forward without them in the room. But then again, maybe not. 🐸☕️

What I do know is that if the presidential debates were run like the meetings of the Los Angeles Police Commission candidates might follow the rules and stop over talking each other and going past their allotted time. 😆

Jasmyne A. Cannick

Jasmyne Cannick is a nationally known writer and commentator on political, race and social issues. She was selected as one of ESSENCE Magazine’s 25 Women Shaping the World, one of the Most Influential African-Americans in Los Angeles Under 40, one of Los Angeles’ Most Fascinating Angelenos by the L.A. Weekly and one of 40 People Under 40 by the Advocate. She’s worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and at all levels of government helping to shape public opinion and encourage civic engagement while advocating for underrepresented and marginalized communities in the political arena. Learn more here.

What do you think?

Me Again

You used a taser Jasmyne?? Lol, police work isn’t as easy as you thought huh? Lmao. “I don’t like guns”. If that were real, you’d probably get killed or cause someone else’s death. I hope you got some sense knocked into you, but I commend you for actually being open minded. Thank You and good job, that took a lot of courage.

I’m going to do a special post on this just for confused people like you on my position on police shootings…because obviously you have me confused.

Me again

So what’s your stance? I actually commend you for stepping up. Those training videos are as real as training can ever get. Sometimes people will act out of rage and when they’re armed and they have nothing to lose, they’ll likely escalate situations. Alls I’m saying is police work isn’t easy. High crime locs exist and often times people are armed. Police have to react to suspects actions, as you very well learned.